Superyacht Cakewalk Relaunches as Aquila After Refit

The Pendennis Shipyard in Cornwall has announced the rebirth of the 85.6 metre Derecktor superyacht Cakewalk after an extensive one-year refit programme. Now renamed Aquila, the exciting new project has now been re-delivered and will return to the charter market with refit managers and global brokerage house Burgess.

A Milestone Project
Aquila is the largest yacht to date to be refitted in the UK, and the scope of the work undertaken included an impressive revitalisation of all five deck levels.

Adrian Tinkler, Fleet Technical Manager at Burgess, explains: “To facilitate the extent of design and technical changes required, the interiors on Aquila needed to be stripped back to bulkheads across most areas.

The team completely updated the social spaces, modernised technical systems and lighting, and restyled the boat across an area of over 750m2 [...] a truly remarkable rebirth of this beautiful yacht.”

A Restyled Classic
Redman Whiteley Dixon (RWD) and Susan Young Interiors were commissioned to evaluate the existing space on board and exterior layouts to reformulate and improve flow between each area of the yacht.

Significant enhancements included reconfiguring the Owner’s suite along with the addition of a 60m2 private deck area, repositioning the Jacuzzi to the forward Sun Deck, and integrating a cinema into the Main Salon.

Tony Dixon, Director at RWD, explains the styling approach: “We selected a mix of dark wood finishes, pale leather panels with nickel trim and many new special surface materials all interplaying together to offer subtle style variations throughout the interior.”

A Major Production
Mike Carr, Joint Managing Director of Pendennis, describes the shipyard’s approach: “In order to effectively manage a project of this scale Pendennis assigned four project managers, each with responsibility for specific aspects of the programme."

"They facilitated effective communication between all partners, which consisted of a combined international team of over 1,000 people at the peak of the project. The unwavering support from the Captain and crew was also a key contributor to the refit’s success. We believe that this project has set a new benchmark for large yacht refit programmes.”

Technology upgrades as part of the yacht’s five-year survey included a new AV and IT system, radar equipment, air conditioning and fresh air handling systems, along with the rebuild of the four generators. A complete infrastructure repaint completed the refit works.

“It is a tribute to all those involved in the project that the Owners can now reap the benefits of this collective effort, taking back their beloved Aquila and enjoy cruising again in the months and years ahead,” added Tinkler.

“Burgess is looking forward to representing Aquila as part of their Operational and Charter Management fleets, fully restyled, refreshed and ready to serve her Owners and charter guests in the next chapter of her story.”